Healthy dieting and weight loss tips part 2

Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #6: Fill up with fruit, veggies, and fiber

Even if you’re cutting calories, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to eat less food. High-fiber foodsare higher in volume and take longer to digest, making them filling—and great for weight-loss.

• Fruits and vegetables – Enjoy whole fruits across the rainbow (strawberries, apples, oranges, berries, nectarines, plums), leafy salads, and green veggies of all kinds.
• Beans – Add beans of any kind (black beans, lentils, split peas, pinto beans, chickpeas) to soups, salads, and entrees, or enjoy them as a dish on their own.
• Whole grains – Try high-fiber cereal, oatmeal, brown rice, and multigrain bread.

Easier than counting calories

Counting calories can quickly become tedious, but you don’t need an accounting degree to enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s generally okay to eat as much as you want—you’ll feel full before you’ve overdone it on the calories.

• Eat vegetables raw or steamed, not fried or breaded, and dress them with herbs and spices or a little olive oil or butter for flavor.
• Add nuts and cheese to salads and use healthy salad dressings, such as olive oil.
• Add fruit to low sugar cereal—blueberries, strawberries, sliced bananas. You’ll still enjoy lots of sweetness, but with fewer calories, less sugar, and more fiber.
• Bulk out sandwiches by adding healthy veggie choices like lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, and avocado.
• Snack on carrots or celery with hummus instead of a high-calorie chips and dip.
• Add more veggies to your favorite main courses to make your dish more substantial. Even pasta and stir-fries can be diet-friendly if you use less noodles and more vegetables.
• Start your meal with salad or soup to help fill you up so you eat less of your entrée.

Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #7: Tune in when you eat

We live in a fast-paced world where eating has become mindless. We eat on the run, at our desk while we’re working, and in front of the TV. The result is that we consume much more than we need. To practice “mindful” eating:

• Pay attention while you’re eating.  Eat slowly, savoring the smells and textures of your food. If your mind wanders, gently return your attention to your food and how it tastes.
• Avoid distractions while eating. Try not to eat while working, watching TV, or driving. It’s too easy to mindlessly overeat.
• Mix things up to focus on the experience of eating. Try using chopsticks rather than a fork, or use your utensils with your non-dominant hand.
• Stop eating before you are full. It takes time for the signal to reach your brain that you’ve had enough. Don’t feel obligated to always clean your plate.

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Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #8: Take charge of your food environment

Set yourself up for success by taking charge of your food environment: when you eat, how much you eat, and what foods you make easily available.

• Cook your own meals. Cooking meals at home allows you to control both portion size and what goes in to the food. Restaurant and packaged foods generally contain a lot more sugar, unhealthy fat, and calories than food cooked at home—plus the portion sizes tend to be larger.
• Serve yourself smaller portions. Use small plates, bowls, and cups to make your portions appear larger. Don’t eat out of large bowls or directly from food containers, which makes it difficult to assess how much you’ve eaten.
• Eat early, weigh less. Studies suggest that consuming more of your daily calories at breakfast and fewer at dinner can help you drop more pounds. Eating a larger, healthy breakfast can jump start your metabolism, stop you feeling hungry during the day, and give you more time to burn off the calories.
• Fast for 14 hours a day. Try to eat dinner earlier in the day and then fast until breakfast the next morning. Eating only when you’re most active and giving your digestion a long break may aid weight loss.
• Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. You can create your own small portion snacks in plastic bags or containers. Eating on a schedule will help you avoid eating when you aren’t truly hungry.
• Don’t shop for groceries when you’re hungry. Create a shopping list and stick to it. Be especially careful to avoid snack and convenience foods.
• Drink more water. Thirst can often be confused with hunger, so by drinking water you can avoid extra calories.
• Limit the amount of tempting foods you have at home. If you share a kitchen with non-dieters, store indulgent foods out of sight.

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